Unfortunately I found this hard to get into, the writing style didn’t flow in a way that soothes or draws my brain in.

This novel by Julie Anne Hatcher is different from most of her previous books. This isn't a murder mystery but it's a feel good story of a woman discovering herself. While at times, I thought this could have been shorter but yet, all the details really make you get to know the main character and see her self in a new light. Thank you Julie for another good read!

I loved a lot about this book. In fact, I couldn't really put it down for most of the day. It was cute, chaotic, and very heartfelt. After all the family drama everyone was clearly communicating which was a little strange but nice to see.
There were a few really annoying things that kept it from being a five-star read for me.
1) At the beginning of the book mentions that Emma is going to be renting the house for 6 weeks. But then she keeps saying that it's going to be for 30 days and then counting down from 30 days. Then again later, she mentioned 6 weeks. 6 weeks and 30 days are quite different, The inconsistency was annoying and had me flipping back a few times.
2) Davis clearly states that he helps his aunt with IT issues and social media soon after meeting Emma. The aunt who owns the bookshop is clearly not the person who she's been conversing with online - And she does realize that quickly. But I don't know why she was so confused about who exactly she was talking to. I kind of understand her thinking some of it was Michael, however, Davis literally said he managed his aunt's social media for the book store- so why is she not understanding who she had been talking to right away? I know the whole confusion was supposed to create extra drama and angst, but if you're going to do that then don't make it so obvious up front.

I enjoyed the part about the letters, but Davis really should have made an excuse why he couldn't be at the the cafe rather than accompanying her to meet what was supposed to have been himself. It would have made it a little bit more believable and him getting waylaid by his father would have made getting stood up All the more heartbreaking. He also had an opportunity afterwards to tell her who he was and he chose not to anyway. So I don't really understand that part.

Emma is ready to step away from being treated like a doormat and heads to a historical home in Emily Dickinson's hometown for a much-needed break. There, she meets Davis, the grumpy nephew of her landlady, and sparks fly between them.
This was an adorable read, and I really appreciated the slow-burn romance. Both Emma and Davis have their flaws, and it was rewarding to see their personal growth throughout the story. Told from Emma's perspective, the book features some wonderful relationships, highlighting love in its many forms—familial, platonic, and romantic. It was refreshing to read something that didn’t focus solely on romance.
I would have loved an epilogue, just to see how everything turns out down the road

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I found the pacing good but it was a little slow in the middle. The story definitely focused mostly on Emma's struggles and settling in to life. I would recommendit to anyone looking for a quick and light read :)

This was a really cozy romance book. Perfect for autumn, these characters became so dear to me. The setting is gorgeous and so well described. It’s a bit of a slow romance so be aware of that. Emma is a very relatable character and Davis has such an interesting background that I just wanted to know them even better. The only thing that I didn’t love was when Forever Yours was introduced, I think it should have been earlier but that’s just my opinion. It doesn’t make the story worse in any way. Really cute and cozy, definitely read it with a cup of tea and a blanket.

"Not Quite by the Book" by Julie Hatcher is a charming, warm, short novel about finding your passion. It’s the first I’ve read from Julie Hatcher.
The book follows Emma Rini, a bookstore owner who’s unhappy and wants to find herself. Feeling overwhelmed by the expectation to take over the family bookshop without a break, Emma decides to escape by renting a historic manor in Amherst to connect with her long time online friend.
Emma’s character is relatable, and I found myself rooting for her as she navigated her desire for solitude. Davis’s character raises some red flags. From the very beginning, it’s clear he is hiding something, and it doesn’t take long to figure out he’s the one behind the iboom messages. Yet, his reluctance to reveal this to Emma drags on, making his motives confusing. His eventual betrayal, sabotaging her stay at the house, feels unnecessarily cruel and undermines the romantic element, I’m wondering why he’d sabotage something so important to her.
I liked all the Emily Dickinson references, but sometimes Emma was a bit obsessed with her.
Overall, it was a fun, easy read. Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early!

Emma trabaja en el negocio familiar, una librería. Desde niña, ha hecho todo lo posible para que su familia esté bien: los ayuda en todo, ha sacrificado cosas que le gustaría hacer para que sus padres y su hermana no tengan que preocuparse y puedan llevar una vida feliz y tranquila. Ella está bien con vivir de esa manera hasta que se da cuenta de que sus padres dan por sentado que ella se hará cargo de la librería. A pesar de que pide ayuda, no se la ofrecen, y, por si fuera poco, descubre que tienen cenas familiares a las que ella no está invitada. Entonces se da cuenta de que ha tenido suficiente y que es hora de empezar a vivir su propia vida.

Disfruté el 70% del libro. Me gustó cómo se fue desarrollando la historia y fue entretenido, pero la última parte se me hizo repetitiva y, para colmo, no hay epílogo.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading a bookish romance and Not Quite by the Book definitely delivered on that promise. 

Emma and Davis, the two MC’s, are relatable, have a great dynamic and feel like they actually (could) exist. 

The first 2/3rds of the book meander along nicely, but are quite predictable, if you read a lot of romance. There was a bit too much repetition of the main set-up (Emma trying to live her best Emily Dickinson life in order to make changes in and step back from her actual life) to my taste, but I did really like the premise and the building up of the world around the old manor and bookstore. I felt like walking through Amherst in fall!

The final third sped up and had a few minor plot twists and resolutions that felt satisfying and realistic. I am still rooting for the MC’s! I am also still frustrated by Emma’s family dynamics, so be warned. 

Overall I really enjoyed this read and would read another Julie Hatcher romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book, this is my objective review. This was a quick read that drags a bit in the middle but ends with a satisfying resolution. Our fmc is Emma, who runs her parents' family bookstore. She is over-worked and under-appreciated by her family, and she's dissatisfied with her love life. She spontaneously takes a long-overdue vacation to live like Emily Dickinson for six weeks, before settling down to take over for her parents when they retire. Overall, I enjoyed the main message of this book of getting to know one's self before you can move forward with your life. Emma's frustration with not being heard by her family resonated with me, and I found myself becoming frustrated with their attitude towards her when she tried to communicate her needs to them (and them labeling her as overly dramatic when she tried to do so, and accusing her of not asking for help). Although she persevered and ultimately felt more assertive with telling them how unhappy she was, the collective family attitude really bugged me. I will say that the author effectively communicated just how unhappy and frustrated Emma was with how her life was currently playing out. I think I was just kind of aggravated with the poor overall communication between characters in this book, as it also echoed in her blossoming relationship with Davis (although the communication problems were more from him keeping things from Emma rather than vice versa). Davis felt a little under-developed as a character, but considering the book was primarily focused on Emma's journey of self-growth and breaking out of old patterns, it feels appropriate. The romance was nice but very slow burn. Overall I enjoyed reading this earnest love letter to books, reading, and Emily Dickinson. Publishes 3-1-25.

Emma loves Emily Dickinson’s poems and runs a family bookstore. She has no time for vacations. Emma is a people pleaser and she feels burnt out from taking care of the family bookstore. She never asks for vacation, and she has given up on love too. One day, she gets a chance to spend some time at a historic manor in Amherst, where she can embrace her inner Emily and take a break from the bookstore and her old routine.

I really enjoy it when a character embarks on a self-discovery journey. I admired Emma for standing by her decision to spend a month in the manor, despite her sister’s anger and her parents’ unpreparedness for her to leave the bookstore. I found Emma’s personal growth and self-discovery journey, as well as the new people she met in Amherst, to be very compelling. She didn’t give up, even after trying and failing at some new activities.

I love other things in the book like letter-writing, bunnies munching on Emma’s garden, mysterious flowers, and letters for Emma. The romance was a slow burn in the book.

Overall, this book was an easy read, and I love the descriptions in the book. I enjoyed reading this book.

A cute story and an enjoyable read but I found Emma frustrating. Slow burns are less enjoyable when one character is just not seeing the obvious - It was obvious very early on who was who!

This book was a bit boring. I found the FMC a little bit of a pushover and silly. Like really, I understand wanting to discover your path, everyone gets lost sometime in their life, but thinking that living like an age old character like Emily Dickinson is not going to get your there.

I also felt that it was so obvious that Davis was the one, writing, expressing and loving, but Emma's blinders or clueless nature did not get her there fast enough.

Overall a very okay read

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!

Julie Hatcher's Not Quite By the Book is really cute - it's a charming novel about self-discovery and unexpected love. Emma is overworked and overlooked, and has been running her parents’ bookstore for years. When her family assumes she’ll take over the shop without asking her, Emma decides to prioritize herself instead. She rents a manor in Amherst, hoping to channel her inner Emily Dickinson, but predictably she finds herself fumbling through baking, gardening, and of course there is Davis Sommers, the gruff handyman restoring the estate to fall for.

The story focuses a lot on Emma’s journey toward self-love. As she learns she’s valued for who she is, not just what she does for others, her character growth feels relatable and empowering. The Gilmore Girls small-town setting gave me the fall vibes I love at this time of year, but there wasn't a ton going on with the side characters. While the middle drags slightly, I still liked the story overall.

OK, so I mostly enjoyed this book.

Emma needs a break from being treated as her doormat and books to go and sta y in a historical home in Emily Dickinson's home town. She meets Davis, the grumpy nephew of the woman who she is renting the house from, and it is instant chemistry.

This was a cute book and I really enjoyed the slow burn. Both Emma and Davis were flawed and I loved reading about how they improved on themselves. The book is from Emma's POV and there are some lovely relationships throughout. This book is filled with love - familial, platonic and romantic- and it was really nice to read something that wasn't entirely focusd on the romantic side of things.

As always, I would have enjoyed an epilogue, mostly because I just like to see how things turn out.

I have one complaint about this book and it's a big one: the pure gay erasure of Emily Dickinson. She is talked about a lot in this novel as the story is set in her home town, Emma is a big Emily Dickinson's fan and one of Emma's new friends is writing a dissertation on Dickinson too. Despite the fact that there are letter writing classes, a romantic theme and a lot of talk about Dickinson's life, there is absolutely no mention of the fact that it is believed that Emily Dickinson had a romantic relationship with her sister-in-law. They even mention her friendship with her sister-in-law. I just feel that anyone who does even the bare minimum of research into Dickinson's life would have to blind not to see the evidence that suggests she and Susan were lovers and it feels deliberate to leave that out.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but erasing Emily Dickinson's sexuality means that I can't give this book more than 2.5 stars.

Bookish main characters are just made for me, and her being a recluse was such a fun and unique element! The book itself was very cute a well written, so I'll read again!

This book was sweet and cute. It captures the essence of fall, in this small town reads. I enjoyed how we saw Emma grow and go on this personal journey. She’s not someone who gives up easily, and I enjoyed that the romance didn’t occupy so much of the book, to the point it would have comprised the journey that Emma goes on. There are some small grammatical errors near the end of the book.

✔️ small town
✔️ You’ve Got Mail vibes
✔️ family drama
✔️ kisses only
✔️ bookstores
✔️ the cottage from The Holiday, but older

If any of these appeal to you at all, pick this book up immediately!

Not Quite By the Book by Julie Hatcher
This was a fun romance that included bookshops, letter writing, and dogs, a perfect combination!
Emma Rini runs the family bookstore and it has become her whole existence. Her sister is having her first baby, her parents are preoccupied with retirement and she feels excluded.
Emma is way overdue for a vacation and romance. She is frustrated with her parents’ expectations of assuming control of the book store and lack of consideration for help. She runs, taking six weeks off to channel her favorite author, Emily Dickinson. She tries every avenue to become Emily and dismiss love from her life expectations. A handsome architect, new friends, and a crumbling manor house challenge her plans in this sweet story. It is filled with romantic suspense and sweet friendships.
The characters are so well developed and the story just sweeps the reader in and carries them along. What a great book! 5/5⭐️s

I absolutely adore when romance books focus on character development and Not Quite by the Book impressed me to no end. I enjoyed reading Emma find and discover her place in her life.